Dane Co. Clerk of Courts rescues ducklings from 4th-floor balcony

Last edited Sat Jul 4, 2026, 12:26 PM - Edit history (1)

Another Madison story...



MADISON, Wis. -- The Dane County Clerk of Courts played the hero Friday morning, rescuing a group of ducklings from a fourth-floor balcony at the courthouse.

Jeff Okazaki said a mother mallard was quacking in distress in front of the courthouse. Staff had previously seen ducks nesting on the balcony. When Okazaki went to inspect, he found that the duck's nest and ducklings had fallen and become trapped in a planter trench.

The trench was in a hard-to-reach spot underneath planters and grating, and it was four stories above the ground. Okazaki said he worked with Dane County Sheriff’s Office Bailiff Unit deputies and Dane County Facilities Management staff to open the grating. The group then used bird calls to lure the ducklings out of the trench.

"Mom flew up halfway through the rescue after she heard our bird calls, and distracted the ducklings," Okazaki said. "We actually had to move her along so they could waddle all the way to the end of their tunnel and be rescued." Once free from the trench, the ducklings were taken to Lake Monona where they were reunited with their mother.

https://www.channel3000.com/news/dane-co-clerk-of-courts-rescues-ducklings-from-4th-floor-balcony/article_563eeb59-5015-45ca-ae56-cb3e4b0c6135.html

I am impressed that someone in the Clerk's office knew bird calls.